Karina Jadhav: Irvine’s New Golf Star

Golf legend Tiger Woods presenting Karina Jadhav with her first-place trophy

Irvine resident, Karina Jadhav is an 8th grader at Pacific Academy. She is also the winner of the 2023 Tiger Woods Junior Golf Invitational Tournament.

The prestigious event was held last month at Pebble Beach Golf Links. (Karina was the youngest participant in the 13-15 girls’ division.)

In a thrilling turn of events, Karina battled her way back from a 6-hole deficit to tie the match on the final hole. The nail-biting competition was then extended to two more holes, where Karina was able to snag the first-place finish!

During the welcome reception on the first day of the tournament, Tiger Woods recounted one of his most iconic moments — a historic 7-shot comeback at Pebble Beach in 2000. That story helped Karina find inspiration and motivation during her own challenging match two days later.

Golf isn’t Karina’s only passion. She’s also focused on her studies and is part of Pacific Academy’s Model UN program. Earlier this year, Karina traveled to the UN Headquarters in New York City where she won the “Award of Distinction” for her work with UNICEF.

Everyone here at Irvine Community News & Views congratulates Karina on her impressive come-from-behind golf win … and her global work with UNICEF. She’s a perfect example of the extraordinary students we have here in Irvine.